Commentary on politics, culture, life and music.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Aaron's Song of the Day - Jan. 18, 2011 - "Went to See the Gypsy" by Martha Scanlan

We featured a Bob Dylan tune yesterday and I was having trouble coming up with an idea for today's ASotD, so I thought we'd just do a week of my favorite Dylan songs by other artists. (Did I do this already? If so, it's no trouble because there's so much to choose from.)

So today's pick is "Went to See the Gypsy," from Martha Scanlan, formerly of the Reel Time Travelers. Her voice, breathy and quavering, is quite stunning, contrasting with the solid, simple backing on this song. It's not one of Bob's best songs, being from the underwhelming New Morning album, but Scanlan revives it, making it a wide-open, sun-swept song. Norah Jones wishes she could make music like this.